In part one of our exploration of belief, we began by considering a system of beliefs as a system of scaffolding, crisscrossing above the waters of life.
Across watery mystery.
We finished by figuring that belief might be more like a liquid stain glass orb surrounding each person, that colors the way they see the world and the shapes they see through it, and even which parts they see at all. I like this model, but it’s visually centred. What about the other senses? Are there no metaphors for them?
Well, using a little nimble creature empathy, I can sidle over and see belief in a different way. Yes, I'm a visually focused human, unlike many of my interspecies neighbors.
Moving over to sound, I think of the many little birds in the forest around me as I'm writing this. Mostly the birds cannot see each other, and so they depend on sound. By sound, they know whether a predator bird is approaching. And this sound is called out throughout the treetops. Birds even recognize the language of other species. So this language travels throughout the treetops, and it is the bark and leaves filtering and reflecting this sound that are the ‘stained glass filters’ of their aural perception.
Also, keeping with sound, we might dive underneath the water into the ocean that's in front of me as I'm writing this. In this case, sounds are filtered through water. The sounds of orcas moving, of gray whales migrating, of ships, of rockslides and sifting silt. It’s be easy to mistake one sound for another, muted and changed as they are by the heavy expanse of water.
Going below ground, into the way moles and voles understand the world, we move mainly through scent. Scent of food and predator and everyone in between. And what is filtering these scents? Soil and seed, scat and secretions. This is their stained glass.
These sensory conceptions are analogies, of course. Perhaps only humans have beliefs in science or religion, morality and such. Perhaps animals just go by signals, sensory signals and response, not a web of beliefs. Maybe. To me, this seems like a limiting belief, one that doesn't give animals much room to move, before they drop out of human sight.
So how does all this connect with story?
Well, belief determines which stories we see through.
Now, it's often easier to see such things a step removed: in fictional beings, in characters. If a character is steeped in the belief that there is good and evil in the world, they see stories of good versus evil played out all around them. If they believe God is there and God is good, they will see miracles everywhere. And where they see bad, they'll try to somehow see it in the light of goodness. Or if they see bad everywhere, they'll see everything in the light of badness, as it were.
Or they might not see good and bad at all, but see paradoxes everywhere.
Here's a story prompt:
Put two characters together with very different beliefs about the same situation. You might start by describing the situation and their differing beliefs about it, then set them in motion and see what they do.
Here’s a business story prompt.
Consider an individual or a business with whom you’re connected. This could be a partnership, or you may be their client, or they may be yours. This is a little easier if it's an individual, but if it's a business, you can consider that whole business as an individual. You'll see what I mean.
How would you describe their beliefs? What are their guiding principles? These may be stated or implicit. They may be stating some guiding principles, and following others. Can their true guiding principles be seen through how they conduct their business?
When you consider your own guiding principles, you can see how compatible you are with them, and what might be a fruitful arrangement between you.
Until next time,
Happy creating
Theo
Believe It or Not, Part 2: Navigating Wild Perspectives